Tag: Demolition - Page 2 - International Solidarity Movement

Israel begins demolition of Khan Al Ahmar and uses violence against peaceful protesters

International Solidarity Movement, Khan Al Ahmar, Palestine Friday 6^th June

Peaceful protest against the demolition of Khan al Ahmar

This week, Israeli forces began preparing for the demolition of the Bedouin village Al-Khan Al-Ahmar, in between Jerusalem and Jericho in the West Bank of Palestine. They met village residents and protesters with extreme violence on Wednesday and Thursday in an attempt to clear the area and proceed with the destruction of the entire village. Palestinian and international solidarity activists have been staying in the village school, which serves over 150 children from the surrounding area, for several weeks in order to prevent the demolition. Israeli forces arrived on Wednesday with construction vehicles to start preparing a temporary road to the village from the main road to allow bulldozers to come through. Residents and activists stood in the path of the construction vehicles peacefully protest the demolition, and Israeli forces responded with extreme violence, arresting 13 people and injuring 35, 4 of whom went to hospital. A human rights activist from Israeli organisation B’tselem was amongst those detained. Israeli forces dragged one woman to the ground, removing her hijab and attacked other women. Watch a video of Israeli forces’ violence here.

A group of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists chai themselves together in front of bulldozer to protest destruction of Khan al Ahmar

Canadian activist arrested in peaceful protest of Khan Al Ahmar demolition

On Thursday morning, Israeli forces arrived to Khan Al Ahmar at around 7.30, to continue with the preparations for demolition. A group of eleven Palestinian, Israeli and international activists chained themselves together in front of the bulldozer, and one activist succeeded in chaining himself to the bulldozer. Israeli riot police forcefully removed three of the activists with wire cutters and violently arrested them. The activists who were arrested were from the UK, Canada and the US. They have since been released. At this point a large group of local residents, Palestinians and international activists were gathered to protest the Israeli destruction of the village. Over the next few hours they were forced back by Israeli forces, and placed in the school as the bulldozer proceeded to flatten the ground in front of the villager’s dwellings so that the demolition can take place in the next few days. Israeli forces filmed activists throughout the morning, and also prevented local journalists and human rights observers from entering the village from the main road, giving out traffic fines to those arriving.

Boys from Khan Al Ahmar look on as Israeli forces move protesters back and begin preparing for demolition of the village.

Israeli forces preparing for demolition of Khan Al Ahmar

As this statement from the village of Khan Al Ahmar reiterates, the demolition of the village marks part of the ongoing Nakba, or forcible removal of Palestinians from their homes. The community was displaced from their homes in the Naqab desert in 1950 by Zionist militias, and settled in their current homes in the hills between Jerusalem and Jericho. The area is inhabited by similar small communities of Jahalin bedouins who were also ethnically cleansed from the Naqab during the Nakba. Israel has been attempting to remove these small communities for several years as part of its plan to link two nearby illegal settlements, Kfar Adumim and Maale Adumim with Jerusalem, effectively annexing a huge area of the West Bank from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, and cutting off occupied East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. The residents of Al Khan al Ahmar have been protesting the demolition of their village for years, filing appeals in the Israeli High Court of Justice. Human rights groups in Palestine have pointed out that the destruction of Khan Al Ahmar constitutes the forcible removal of a population, which is a war crime according to international law. The court denied the latest appeal in May this year, and ordered that Israeli government had found a solution for the residents in their transfer to Al-Jabil, near Abu Dis. The residents have refused this transfer, pointing out that the proposed site is cramped and next to the municipality garbage dump. Despite the protestations of residents and human rights groups in Palestine, Israel has been proceeding with the E1 plan since 2015, destroying 35 structures in Khan Al Ahmar and 57 in the wider E1 area. However, the Israeli High Court ruling in May this year gave the Israeli government the green light to demolish the entire village.

Girl from Khan Al Ahmar waves Palestinian flag at Israeli forces preparing for the destruction of her home and the entire village.

The international community has spoken out against the destruction of Khan Al Ahmar, with some British MPs visiting the village in previous weeks, and holding an emergency session in Parliament on Wednesday. The EU expressed concern about the demolition yesterday, reiterating that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal according to international law. PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi pointed out, however, that “words of warning to Israel are not enough. If there is no serious intervention from the international community towards the Israeli government and its belligerent military occupation, other villages will be next, and more Palestinian men, women and children will be displaced for another 70 years to come.” There has been no condemnation of Israel’s attempts to destroy Khan Al Ahmar from the US government.

‘We are here and we will never leave.’ The residents of Khan Al Ahmar say they will not leave their homes.

Late on Thursday night the Israeli High Court put a temporary suspension on the demolition, but activists on the ground today in Khan Al Ahmar have reported that Israeli forces are continuing in their preparations.

Read this official statement from the village of Khan Al Ahmar here. The village is calling for further action from the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop the illegal demolition.

Khan al Ahmar watches the World Cup

26th June 2018 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Khan al Ahmar, occupied Palestine

The Jahalin tribe of Khan al Ahmar were forcibly relocated by Israel from the Negev Desert in 1951. The village’s current site in Palestine is located between the illegal Israeli settlements of Ma’ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim.

Israel wants to forcibly remove the community again to clear land for more illegal settlements.

The whole world is watching. Join us in solidarity at the Tyre School and watch the World Cup, no matter which team you support.

Video: ISM

Susya continues to await demolition as Israeli government hesitates

3rd March 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Susya, occupied Palestine

The village of Susya in the south Hebron hills is still waiting for news of its imminent demolition at the hands of the Israeli military. On Sunday 26th the Israeli court was expecting the government to make clear its plans to execute the existing demolition order, but the government asked for another 48 hours of delay. Yesterday as that 48 hours came to an end the government again asked for 48 hours to make up its mind.

Meanwhile the villagers of Susya wait daily for what is nearly certain to be a demolition at some point. There are two reasons for the delays. The first is simple and happens all over Palestine: delays play into the sense of uncertainty and tension that Palestinians are placed under. Some villages and houses have been living under demolition orders for years. The second is more complex: Susya is one of the most successful villages in Palestine in harnessing international support against the continuing persecution they face from the Israeli government. Until the arrival of Trump in the White House this winter, demolishing Susya would have brought down the disapproval of the international community and the US on the Israeli government, and that pressure is still strong. However, the government is under equal or greater pressure from the settlers in the region to demolish the village, which inconveniently stands between the ‘Jewish archeological site’ of Susya (which used to be the village) and the illegal settlement of Susya. And the current Israeli administration requires the votes of the most right wing settler parties to maintain a majority in the Knesset.

Meanwhile, the villagers of Susya stand in the middle of this battle, calling in all the support they can globally and locally. But the ultimate outcome of this fight lies outside their hands and will involve the loss of homes and livelihoods this spring and summer.

Sebastiya will not be ruined

24 January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement| occupied Palestine

The Israeli Forces have been making their presence known in Sebastiya almost daily; sometimes just for show, and other times with bulldozers under the guise of ‘maintence and cleaning’. But, when exactly did a bulldozer ever clean up a site? Instead, what they are doing is destroying these relics from history, knocking over pillars, moving rocks from one area to another, and adding a fence for ‘protecting’ the area. In the last months, they have come and destroyed homes and shops all around area c.

As you walk through the old ruins in Area C, you can see 360 degrees, and in that view are Palestinian villages, olive groves, and pockets of settlements surrounding them on all sides. A few months ago, the settlement Save Shamron burned down a field of olive trees that belonged to two different villages, Sebastiya and Dershab nearby. In 2013, there was a demonstration against sewage problems in the area due to this settlement. The locals with support from ISM and other international groups protested until they removed the sewage from the waters. (link)

Bulldozer knock over ancient ruins in name of ‘maintenance’

Sebastiya is a beautiful small town northeast of Nablus up in the hills. It is a site of many ancient Roman ruins, including sites from Herod’s dynasty, sites of Alexander the great, and a chapel and mosque of Nabi Yahya (John the Baptist) that remains today a pilgrimage site for Christians and Muslims. The land has traces back to the Canaanites and the Jews, and therefore is a place that the Israeli government would love to have control over. The town is divided by areas A, B, and C. Most of the villagers live in area b, and most of these important archeological sites happen to fall in area c.

stones for blocking the Israeli forces from entering

The municipality receives threats that they will be returning, and fortunately the town is working well together to stand up against the militarization of their land. They are currently in a process in the courts to make the area a ‘world heritage site’ under UNESCO. This would protect the area from the Israeli government, as it would be under international control.

About one year ago, a group from the village decided to post a Palestinian flag on the hillside by the ruins. Immediately, this action was met with force by the Israeli occupation forces through teargas and arrest of seven young men between the ages of 18-22 years. Two of them remained in prison for almost a full year, and were just released recently. This continues to be a battle, and the village will continue to fight for the right to their land, and these ancient sites.

Yet another demolition hits Umm Al Khair; community continues to stand strong

19th of November 2016 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Umm al-Kheir, south Hebron Hills, occupied Palestine

On November 15th, the Bedouin community of Umm Al Khair experienced the fifth wave of demolitions by Israeli forces on their structures to take place in the past year. The most prominent of the two structures demolished on Tuesday was their community center, which was also the space used for their Kindergarten classes.
The demolitions took place one day after the community saw a drone operated by Extremist Settler organization Regavim, fly over-head documenting any signs of construction or new buildings. The community center was one of these new structures, due to being demolished and rebuilt most previously in August of 2016. Regavim’s tag line is Ensuring the responsible, legal and environmentally-friendly use of Israel’s national lands.

umm-k2watermark-s — Demolished structure in Umm al-Kheir

While it was the Israeli army and the Civil Administration that came in to bulldoze the structures, Zionists from Regavim were present within the neighboring illegal settlement of Carmel. From there they operated the drone and followed over-head those from the Israeli state there to demolish the structures. Historically, the army has come to demolish their structures very quickly after the Regavim drone comes to take photos.

Om Salem, a resident of Umm Al Khair said, “We just need these demolitions to stop. We are sick and tired of it”. Om Salem’s own home was demolished last August. After she lost her home, organizations provided her with a small shelter which she has been living in. But on Tuesday, the army took photos of it and she fears they will come to demolish it again.

In the end however, it is the children and youth of the camp that are most impacted by these demolitions. In this community of 150 people, most are children and youth. The community center was a pivotal space for young people. It was used in the mornings as the school for kindergarten students, and in the afternoons to provide IT and computer trainings, after school homework help, English language classes, and for adults it was used as a space for community meetings.

Umm Al Khair has the deed to the land which makes it difficult for the Israeli government to kick them out entirely. Instead the government in collaboration with Regavim, uses tactics such as these demolitions to make life unbearable. Despite the attempt for the State to force displacement, the community stays strong. Almost everyone returns to Umm Al Khair, including many youth who have left to attain college degrees. They remain resilient against Zionist attempts to displace them.

The community of Umm Al Khair was established in 1952 on land the villagers purchased. All 150 residents are documented refugees from 28 families. Most are goat herders and farmers. They came to settle on the land they purchased after they were displaced from Arad Dessert in 1948. The illegal settlement of Carmel bordering them, and which was established in 1982, is built on land purchased by Umm Al Khair residents.